Ramdev: Guru problems

Lucknow, July 18: Mahant Shankerdev, guru of popular yoga exponent Baba Ramdev, has gone missing from his Hardwar ashram.

The 75-year-old Shankerdev was last seen leaving Ramdev’s Divya Yog Ashram in the Kankhal area on July 14, police said. A missing diary has been lodged.

“He left the ashram on Saturday evening, like he does each day, to meet mahants and gurus of neighbouring ashrams. But that particular day, he did not return,” said M.S. Samant, officer in charge of Kankhal police station.

The police searched Shankerdev’s room after the diary was filed by Acharya Balakrishna, the ashram’s chief, but found nothing to suggest where he had gone. The expectation was that he might have left behind a note.

“Ashram authorities told us about the places he frequented. We contacted the people there but got no clues on where he might have gone,” Samant said.

Ramdev is in the UK, where he held a session in the House of Commons yesterday, telling lawmakers and prominent citizens about the scientific aspects of yoga. He has been intimated about the disappearance, sources said.

Balakrishna said anxiety over Shankerdev’s fate was running high. “We have informed his disciples and we are waiting for information from them.”

Ramdev is scheduled to conduct a six-day yoga camp in Scotland’s Glasgow from tomorrow. There was no word from the organisers if Shankerdev’s disappearance would prompt Ramdev to rush back home.

Ramdev considers Shankerdev his mentor, saying he has learnt everything about yoga and spiritualism from him.